Running watches?

I do not own a foot pod, but I have seen mixed reviews.  Some people seem to be OK with them, others seem to have significant variance.

What are you trying to accomplish?  What are your requirements in regards to pacing?  Do you want to see current pace, average pace over the entire run, lap pace?

Ah.

Then you might have difficulty with the foot pod.  No, that's not based on direct scientific knowledge, but on reviews I've seen of other people.

If you really want to go that route, I'd spring for the GPS.  No need to worry about calibrating it.  Depends on how accurate you want to be, though.

Or you could do most of it over a measured course (like a track for interval work), and do the rest by feel.

I did use GPS, and yes, the current pace is highly variable and not really useful.  I always went with lap pace, which for me was usually set to autolap every mile.  That setting proved to be much more useful.  Knowing my pace at this specific second was really distracting and didn't prove to be helpful in terms of actual pacing.

I think current pace is highly suspect, no matter what device.  I think lap pace is going to be much more helpful and smoother, even for intervals. 

Again, my opinion, based on my specific experiences and research.

You wanna be cheap, buy yourself a simple Timex watch.  Problem solved.  You can train very effectively without a foot pod or GPS.

I think your problem will be best solved if you determine first how accurate you need your pace to be.  Obviously, the cheaper you go, the more limitations you have, or the less accurate it will be.  There is no magic $50 product that will display your current pace accurately on your watch...not yet anyway.

For me, pace is not that important.  I always run the same routes, so I use websites like mapmyrun to get the mile markers.  I've gotten to the point where I know which tree, which light post, or which house is the mile marker and I simply hit the split button on my timex.  I have always considered a GPS watch, but come to think of it, I don't want to be looking at my pace every 15 seconds to make sure that I'm steady...checking once every mile is good enough for me...I actually like to think about other things other than pace when I run.

If you are still concerned about accurate pace, and not getting a GPS watch, then stick to the track...or even the treadmill.  If you're not willing to spend the money, then you gotta sacrifice something to get what you want.

Pants/shorts, maybe a shirt depending on weather and personal preference.  Personally, I don't consider a watch a requirement.  Just clothing.

FWIW My wrists are not that big, a little more than 6" around, and I don't even notice the size.  I started off with the older 201 and had it for almost 5 years before getting the 305.  The shape of the two is different but the 201 took up even more of my arm.  I guess some people can never get used to wearing it but I have other things keeping my mind occupied while running.  Like whether or not my knee is going to come apart or something along those lines.